Live! Hotel, Anne Arundel County’s tallest building, ‘tops off’

Maryland Live! is one step closer adding a luxury hotel, a move that aims to bring gamblers back to the Arundel Mills casino that has been losing revenue.

The Cordish Companies completed the exterior phase of construction of its flagship hotel with the placement of the final steel beam in what is traditionally called a “topping off” ceremony. (Courtesy Cordish Co.)

WASHINGTON — Live! is one step closer adding a luxury hotel, a move that aims to bring back gamblers to the Arundel Mills casino that has been losing gaming revenue since MGM National Harbor opened.

The Cordish Companies completed the exterior phase of construction of the flagship hotel with the placement of the final steel beam in what is traditionally called a “topping off” ceremony on Tuesday.

Still months away from opening, the hotel is scheduled to open its doors for guests in the first quarter of 2018.

The 350,000-square-foot, 17-story hotel will be the tallest building in Anne Arundel County and will include 310 guest rooms, an event center, meeting spaces, a day spa and salon and a 24-hour restaurant called David’s Cafe.

Live! already owns another 250-room boutique hotel open nearby. The Live! Lofts was a renovation of an existing hotel, which remained open during the work.

The hotel is part of a $200-million expansion at the casino known as Maryland Live! by The Cordish Cos. that also includes a 1,500-seat concert venue, more restaurants and more parking.

The hotel alone will add about 400 new jobs, and has created more than 500 construction jobs.

Live! Casino marked its fifth anniversary in June and welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year.

However gaming revenue has been declining. Live! Casino brought in $46.9 million in gaming revenue in September, down 12.9 percent from a year ago.

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